Zoe Saldana has offered eye-opening insight into how Hollywood negotiates actress contracts in relation to their male counterparts — specifically when female talent are caring for children.
Promoting the new indie “Infinitely Polar Bear,” Saldana revealed her struggle to include childcare costs in a deal negotiation.
“[Studios] spend more money sometimes ‘perking’ up male superstars in a movie,” Saldana told USA Today, speaking of luxury add-ons like private jets, assistants, “a really phat penthouse or them staying in a yacht instead of them staying on land.”
“But then a woman comes in going, ‘OK, I have a child. You’re taking me away from my home. You’re taking my children away from their home. And you’re going to make me work a lot more hours than I usually would if I was home,” she continued. “Therefore, I would have to pay for this nanny for more hours — so I kind of need that. And they go, ‘Nope, we don’t pay for nannies.’”
Saldana, who gave birth to twin boys in January, is heading to work on the third installment of J.J. Abrams‘ “Star Trek” franchise at Paramount. The studio did not immediately return TheWrap‘s request for comment.
“With any production, there is always a negotiating process,” a rep for Saldana told USA Today, adding that the situation was resolved.
The star and her artist husband, Marco Perego, recently made headlines by announcing his intention to take her last name — as opposed to vice versa.
“I’m very happy that people are talking about [it],” Saldana said. “For men to be discriminated and picked on for wanting to take on their partner’s name, for their masculinity to be put into question, I think it’s disgusting. It shouldn’t be that way.”
“Infinitely Polar Bear,” costarring Mark Ruffalo, opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday.